"In all of his interactions, whether out front in public or behind the scenes, John Preston was every bit a gentleman," said board president Dr. Chris Mack.

"Not all of us can say that, I know I can't," Mack joked.

Preston spoke from the dais, congratulating Bauer and wishing her luck, and thanking the Longview community for entrusting him with making decisions on behalf of the public for 18 years.

"We've had our ups and downs, successes and failures, but I am very happy with where this school district is now, and know that it will only continue to get better," he said.

LISD Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox praised the six-term incumbent for his years of commitment to the students and education professionals, thanking him for his service to the Longview community.

"It has been a pleasure to work with Mr. Preston for over nine years," he said. "Mr. Preston always placed the students and employees of LISD first in every consideration and decision he made during his 18-year tenure as a board member. I consider John a friend as well as a colleague and wish he and his family the best in future endeavors."

Place 6 incumbent Ted Beard was unopposed and will serve another three-year term on the board.

Board members also administered the oath of office to Bauer and Beard, before reorganizing officers for the coming term.

Later, the board heard a report from Latitia Wilson, Director of Research, Planning, and Accountability on the percentage of students that have met the standard in each STAAR tested area.

Click to view preliminary report.

"Of course, we're not where we want to be, but progress is being made," Wilson said.

Students in grades 5 and 8 took the first round of STAAR Reading and Math Assessment on March 29-30. Students that did not meet expectations were given the opportunity to retest on May 9-10. Secondary students were given End-Of-Course (EOC) assessments in March (English I and II) and May (Algebra I, Biology, and U. S. History).

"It's important to note that the STAAR performance standards were increased from last year," Wilson said, adding that "a more detailed report will be provided later this week after the scores for the re-testers have been received."

"Even today, we're continuing to get new data (from the state), so these numbers are liable to change," she said.

Trustees meet each month in the boardroom of the LISD Education Support Center, 1301 E. Young St. The next regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 13.

Longview Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability or genetic information in providing educational services, activities and programs, including vocational programs, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972. The Deputy Superintendent of District Services has been designated to coordinate compliance with the non-discrimination requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended. The Director of State Assessments coordinates compliance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1972.